Interstate 87 North Carolina

Interstate 87 North Carolina
Future I-87 at Cashie River, NC

Future Interstate 87 corridor sign posted along U.S. 17 Bypass north beyond the split with U.S. 13 and ahead of the Cashie River. 12/14/17

Proposed Routing

The 13.09 mile long route of Interstate 87 originates at the exchange joining I-40 and I-440 in southeast Raleigh. I-87 route overlaps with I-440 north to U.S. 64/264, and along the Knightdale Bypass east to U.S. 64 Business near Eagle Rock. The remainder of I-87 east is designated a Future Route.

Future I-87 replaced Future I-495 along the freeway taking U.S. 64 east from the Triangle to I-95 at Rocky Mount. East of Rocky Mount, Future I-87 continues along U.S. 64 to Tarboro and Williamston, where it overlays the freeway along U.S. 13/17 north toward Windsor.

Future I-87 continues along the U.S. 17 corridor east from Windsor to Elizabeth City and north to into Chesapeake, Virginia. The initial proposal for I-87 measures 179 miles from I-40 in Raleigh to the Virginia state line. Through cooperation with Virginia, the long term plan continues I-87 northeast to I-64/464 near Norfolk.

High Priority Corridor

Proposed Interstate 87 is part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act high priority future Interstate corridor, which is designated as Corridor 13.

Route Information

  • North End – VA state line (U.S. 17)

  • South End – Raleigh, NC

  • Branch Routes – 1

  • Mileage – 12.90

  • Cities – Raleigh, Knightdale

  • Junctions – I-40 I-440 Future I-587

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-87 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Source: 2016 NCDOT AADT Mapping Application.

I-87/440 north split in a half mile beyond Poole Rd in Raleigh, NC.

I-87/440 arc northward along the Cliff Benson Beltway around Raleigh to the Knightdale Bypass. 05/31/21

History

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) sought an Interstate designation joining Raleigh with the North Carolina/Virginia border north of Elizabeth City. The corridor overlaid portions of U.S. 13, U.S. 17, U.S. 64, U.S. 158 and U.S. 264. U.S. 64 east from I-440 at Raleigh to I-95 at Rocky Mount was previously designated as Interstate 495 / Future I-495 in 2013. State officials later applied for the designation of Interstate 89 on both the numbered section of I-495 around Knightdale, and for the remainder of the corridor leading east from Rocky Mount to Hampton Roads, Virginia. An application for I-89 was sent to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering meeting held on May 24, 2016.1 The state instead received approval for Interstate 87.2

These routes were identified as a high priority future Interstate corridor, as indicated by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act enacted on December 4, 201511. Ultimately I-87 would provide a direct connection between Raleigh and Norfolk, Virginia.

The I-89 designation was primarily chosen due to increasing difficulty in identifying an Interstate number that meets the criteria and is not currently in use.3,4 It is unclear what determined Interstate 87 to be the favorable route, given that NC 87 forms part of a 241-mile multi state route from Southport and the Atlantic coast to Ridgeway, Virginia.

Exit numbers along U.S. 64/264 between I-440 and U.S. 64 Business were renumbered by NCDOT by July 2019.

Photo Guides

North End  – US 64 US 264 US 64 Business – Eagle Rock, NC

I-87 North US 64 US 264 East at US 64 Business

I-87/US 64-264 north at US 64 Business - Eagle Rock, NC

Interstate 87 north concludes at U.S. 64 Business (Wendell Boulevard) east to Eagle Rock and west to Knightdale. 05/31/21

US 64 US 264 West at I-87 US 64 Business

US 64/264 west at I-87/US 64 Business - Eagle Rock, NC

Interstate 87 south begins along U.S. 64/264 west from the parclo interchange (Exit 13) with U.S. 64 Business outside Knightdale. 02/15/19

South End I-40 I-440 US 64 – Raleigh, North Carolina

I-87 South I-440 East US 64 West at I-40

I-87/440-US 64 south at I-40 - Raleigh, NC

05/31/21

I-40 West at I-87 I-440 US 64

I-40 west at I-87/440 - Raleigh, NC

Interstate 87 shields were posted along I-40 west at the exchange for Exit 301 and I-440/US 64 in 2019. 02/15/19

I-40 US 64 East at I-87 I-440

I-40/US 64 east at I-87/440 - Raleigh, NC

05/31/21

I-40/US 64 east at I-87/440 - Raleigh, NC

05/31/21

Sources

  1. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering meeting scheduled for May 24, 2016, agenda packet, AASHTO 2016 Spring Meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.
  2. “North Carolina Gains Names for Two New Interstate Designations.” North Carolina Department of Transportation, press release. May 25, 2016.
  3. The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act or “FAST Act”, website
  4. Interstate Routes Binder (2016), American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) website.

Page updated April 12, 2023.